Paralegal/Legal Assistant, A.A.S.

Program Description

The Paralegal/Legal Assistant Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree helps students qualify as legal assistants aiding lawyers with procedural activities in the practice of law. These activities include research, alternative dispute resolution, interviewing witnesses, and drafting motions, interrogatories and pleadings. Legal assistants may work in government agencies, in corporations that have in-house attorneys, and in private law firms, or they may prefer to freelance. The paralegal profession is one of the fastest growing occupations in Maryland, and the demand for legal assistants in the Washington Metropolitan Area is high. The Paralegal/Legal Assistant A.A.S. is a career degree that enables a student to directly enter the workforce. However, the credits earned do transfer to a number of four-year institutions.

Graduates of the Paralegal/Legal Assistant A.A.S. will be able to:

• Apply investigative techniques to gather information from clients, witnesses, and other sources
• Analyze legal resources found in a law library, using manual methods, computer software, and online research tools, such as Westlaw
• Apply critical thinking skills in the reading and interpretation of the law
• Draft legal documents, pleadings, motions, and other writings typically assigned to paralegals
• Apply ethical rules and concerns of the legal profession
• Analyze the practical and legal necessities for organizing successful strategy and tactics for trial
• Analyze American criminal laws and the rules of evidence

General Education Courses

The list of general education courses appears in the General Education List . Some programs recommend or require specific courses to fulfill general education requirements. Please check your program’s sequence of study for this information.

Program Requirements

• PAS-1000 First Year Experience 1 Credit **
• CJT-2510 Criminal Law 3 Credits
• CJT-2540 Criminal Evidence and Procedure 3 Credits
• PAR-1510 Introduction to Law for the Paralegal 3 Credits
• PAR-2450 Techniques of Legal Research 3 Credits
• PAR-2510 Legal Writing 3 Credits
• PAR-2530 Torts 3 Credits
• PAR-2540 Contracts 3 Credits
• PAR-2610 Legal Ethics 3 Credits
• PAR-2650 Civil Litigation 3 Credits ***

Sequence of Study - Paralegal/Legal Assistant A.A.S.

Below are the required courses for your program arranged in a suggested sequence. Please note that the sequence does not  include developmental coursework. See Academic Preparation  for the developmental course sequence if applicable to you.

Program Total: 60 Credits

Asterisk (*) denotes a general education course.

Double asterisk (**) denotes a course that is an institutional requirement.

Triple asterisk (***) denotes a course that satisfies the culminating experience requirement for A.A.S. programs.

Transferability

Credit earned at any public institution in the state shall be transferable to any other institution if the:

• Credit is from a college or university parallel course or program;
• Grades in the block of courses transferred average 2.00 or higher; and
• Acceptance of the credit is consistent with the policies of the receiving institution governing students following the  same program. Refer to ARTSYS at artweb.usmd.edu and the receiving institution’s catalog to select transferable courses.

Need Help?

For help selecting an academic program or courses, consider using Career Coach, available at www.pgcc.edu/go/careercoach.